NEW PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT
NEW PHD PROGRAM IN CLINICAL HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
Accepting applications this fall 2007: Deadline is December 15th
Program to begin in the 2008-2009 academic year!
The Clinical Health Psychology PhD program on the Downtown Denver Campus of the University of Colorado Denver (UC Denver) adheres to the scientist-practitioner model. Training emphasizes the contribution of research to the understanding, treatment, and prevention of human problems, and the application of knowledge that is grounded in scientific evidence. Students in this program will be trained to work within the community to use psychological tools and techniques to promote health, prevent and treat illness, and improve the health care system. In addition to coursework, students acquire expertise in research by completing a master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation, and demonstrate competence in clinical assessment and intervention through several applied practicum experiences, a clinical competency project, and a pre-doctoral internship. Funding will be available in the form of research and teaching assistantships and tuition waivers may be available. We will be seeking accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA) as a Clinical PhD program.
Practicum experiences are widely available at several community agencies. Previous students in our ongoing clinical psychology MA program have completed internships at local hospitals, mental health centers, residential treatment centers, and the division of corrections. Funding (in the form of tuition vouchers) is available through the UCAN Serve AmeriCorps Education Award program. Although subject to change, it is likely that doctoral students will be required to complete about 1000 practicum hours in preparation for their applications to pre-doctoral internships. All field placements must be approved by the director of clinical training (DCT) in advance.
In July 2004, the University of Colorado, Downtown Denver Campus (our campus) merged with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. There are numerous possibilities for research collaborations with faculty at the Health Sciences Center in addition to the faculty members in our own department. There are also several affiliated institutions (e.g., AMC Cancer Research Center, The Children's Hospital, National Jewish, and the Kempe Center) in the area that provide additional opportunities for research collaborations and applied clinical work.
Potential applicants can use our current online application procedures for our clinical psychology MA program to apply for the PhD program. Please state clearly in your application whether you are applying to the clinical psychology MA program or the clinical health psychology PhD program. In addition to the application, CV, and personal statement, applicants to our doctoral program are required to submit GRE scores for both the general and psychology subject tests (school code 4875; dept code 2001). A minimum score of 1100 is required for the general test; 600 for the psychology subject test. Competitive GPA will be above 3.5. Three recommendations are required, two of which must be academic references. In addition, both research and clinical experience will be weighted highly in the application process.
Additional information about program requirements and application instructions will be added to this website throughout the summer 2007. Please be sure to check this website frequently for updates.
